Gender Differences in the Use of Technology Essay

At the center of twenty-first century socialization is figurer engineering apprehension which presence and practise just decades ago, were control for the government and some institutions. Today, electronic calculator engineering steps out from such isolation pervading all institutions, industries, commerce and other aras of feel at what appears to be logarithmic speed, making its mastery or at least(prenominal) working knowledge an essential requisite if one is to keep pace with time.The omnipresentness of technology, continuous rise in the demands for technologically-advanced workforce combined with the application of basic economical principles make one think whether the practise up on sexual practice contrarietys as it relates to technology is really a matter honorable of anyones at xtion. Statistics say it is. Generally, in a technological workplace, women be still underrepresented solely five percent sequence of estimator programmers, ten percent of system analysts and ten percent of electronic technicians argon fe anthropoids (Statistics Women in engineering science, 2008).In major companies in Silicon Valley, hardly 5-6% is led by females (Statistics Women in technology, 2008). there has been a decline in the physique of females pursuing flights related to science and technology. harmonize to the National Center for Education Statistics, the publication of women who earned a bachelors degree in computer science has decreased from 37% to 28. 4% from 1984 to 1995 (Statistics Women in engine room, 2008). Female students who took the advanced placement computer interrogatoryination comprised and when 17% (Statistics Women in Technology, 2008).From these statistics, one may speculate that females forthcoming career choices still fall along traditional paths. This was confirmed by a get done by Lupart and hit (2002) on students acquaintances on desirable career characteristics and career choices. With the rising de mand for sophisticated jobs (Statistics Women and Technology, 2008), knowledge and routine of technology give out an essential condition to improve womens participation in the workforce and to modify them to pursue higher status and better-paying jobs in the future.However, the general belief is that not only are women underrepresented in the technology-related industry they are to a fault considered to be little(prenominal) interested, less confident and less learninged in this area. These three factors tint their exercise of technology. Still, underneath these factors, womens computer usage stop be traced on socialization and upbringing. Boys and girls do not break away the same games during childhood. period boys are usually made to play video games or games that promote problem-solving, hands-on skills and spatial-relationship skills, girls play with dolls, which tend to expatiate their lever of relationships (Milgram, 2007).Problem-solving, hands-on and spatial-rel ationship skills are critical to the study of computer and technology-related subjects. As a forget of this discrepancy in development, males arrest more(prenominal) than than interested in technology and become better-equipped with the needful skills as they reach maturity (Milgram, 2007). The males generally higher interest in technology, however, does not affect the possibility of change females perception and stead towards technology. The imprint of ubiquitous computing on gender differences was examined in a study done in 2006.Here, the participants were given access 24-hour access to a laptop computer. sexual practice differences were detect in behavioural attitude towards future habituate of computers foregoing the laptop program. Prior to the laptop program, males were more inclined to phthisis computers. This changed by and by the laptop program. No portentous difference was observed in the attitude towards the use of computers by and by the program ( Kay, 2006). Before the program, males were observed to be more skillful in computer abilities compared to females.No signifi reart difference was observed in computer abilities between males and females afterwards the program, except for the skill in schedule (Kay, 2006). In central Georgia oculus school, the study on 8th category students showed a statistically significant difference between achievements of males and females. In this experiment, the participants were instructed and given an exam both written and applied on twain facultys, information and broadcasting. A great amelioration was seen in females for the information module while the males showed greater amelioration in the broadcasting module.This study partially debunks earlier findings that males generally show higher achievements compared to males, in the study of computer technology (Hale, 2005). These studies apprize that females do not reserve an inherently unfavorable computer skill, interest, and attit ude which affect computer use. Provided with the rectify tools and knowledge, females may do as swell or change surface better than males (Milgram, 2007). The comparatively lower use of technology by females can be attributed to the differences in perceptions on technology between genders.While the females see technology finished its social function, the males perspective is more cogitate on the hardware itself (Brunner, 1997). Males, therefore, are more believably to study more on the intricacies and technicalities of the use of technology compared to females which in effect allows them to maximize its use. Meanwhile, the females perspective of technology limits their use to only a number of functions.. harmonize to Milgram (2007), females are much less likely to retain interest if they feel they are incapable of mastering the material. Also, males tend to inflate their accomplishments while females tend to feel less comfortable even when they do well in tests (Milgram, 2007 ). The females initial lack of skill in technology affects their effrontery and perception towards its use. However, like interest and attitude, these may be changed upon exposure. Nicolino, et. al. (2006) measured the effrontery gain of male and female respondents in the frequency of use of computers at home and at work. No significant difference in computer use was observed between males and females. hearty differences were observed in the only in the applications used by the two genders. The possible change in perceptions and self-assurance which may affect usage is evidenced by the study by Wong and Hanafi in 2007. In this study, the attitudes of male and female student teachers in Malaysia towards exposure and use of Information Technology were measured in terms of usefulness, confidence and aversion. No significant differences were seen between the two genders were observed during the pre- and post IT course. Both genders showed improvement in their appreciation of IT usag e after the IT course.Females exhibited greater confidence in IT usage after the course compared to their male counterparts (Wong and Hanafi, 2007). given the males higher degree of confidence towards technology, the misgiving now is whether such confidence really translates to increased use of technology. In a study on some 6,800 quarter and eighth grade students, it was reported that males importantly increase their use of technology with age while no such significant increase was seen in females (Barker and Aspray, 2006). It has been established that the males have a more positive attitude and higher degree of confidence towards technology.These, however, are not solely gender-based but more importantly, based on their differences in upbringing, with males having more background in problem-solving and spatial-relationship. Based on the general principles derived from studies on gender-gap in technology, strategies can be employed to address such gap, improve computer attitude, increase computer use and create a culture where everyone can participate and take wages of the benefits of technology, regardless of gender. Milgram (2007) lists some of such strategies targeting the gist school where attitudes in computer use start to emerge.These strategies include the domain of same-sex groups in classrooms, the integrated and meaningful use of technology, the improvement of teachers computer skills, the use of gender soggy softwares, simulation games for all genders, and the discouragement of use technology and computers as a reward. special K among these strategies is their focus on building the confidence of females who often have less set out than males. Simulation games, for example, ensure that not only males are given the opportunity to develop problem-solving and spatial relationship skills.Simulation games also promote hands-on proficiency which is necessary in developing technological skills and use. The creation of same-sex groups in classroom s and the discouragement of using technology and computers as reward minimize the males aggressive, emphatic and self-assured behavior which stem from their confidence in their skills. In sum, it is by simulating the environment that contributed to the development of males skills that the gender gap in the use of technology can be significantly reduced.The fact that females respond to technology more positively if given the right building blocks, as shown by former studies support this.Works Cited Barker LJ and Aspray W. (2006). The reconcile of research on girls and IT. In J. M. Cohoon and W Aspray (eds. ), Women and information technology (pp. 3-54). Cambridge, MA MIT Press. Brunner C. (1997). Technology and gender Differences in masculine and maidenlike views. NASSP Bulletin, 81(592), 46-51. Hale, KV. (2005). Gender differences in computer technology achievement. Meridian, 8(1). Kay R. (2006).Addressing gender differences in computer ability, attitudes and use The laptop eff ect. Journal of Educational figuring Research, 34(2), 187-211. Lupart J and Cannon E. Computers and career choices gender differences in grades 7 and 10 students. Gender, Technology and Development, 6(2), 233-248. Milgram D. (2007). Gender differences in learning sort specific to science, technology, engineering and math. SelfGrowth. com. Retrieved 27 April 2008 from http//www. selfgrowth. com/articles/Gender_Differences_in_Learning_Style_Specific_to_Science_Technology_Engineering_and_Math_STEM.html. Nicolino, P. , Fitzgerald, B. , Maser, K. & Morote, E. (2006). Gender Differences in Confidence about using Technology An Introductory Course. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds. ), legal proceeding of Society for Information Technology and instructor Education International Conference 2006 (pp. 3544-3549). Chesapeake, VA AACE. Statistics Women in Technology. (2008). DeVry University Website. Retrieved 27 April 2008 from http//www. phx. devry. edu/outreach/her_world_stats. asp. Wong, S. L. , & Hanafi, A. (2007). Gender Differences in Attitudes towards